Saturday, August 31, 2019
Polar Bears Warming Up to Climate Change Essay
The way the earth’s climate has been changing is a very hot topic among scientists today. Some believe it to be caused by the earth’s natural geothermal development and part of the normal change that the planet should be undergoing. Others contradict these claims by saying that man’s own inventions and improper use of fossil fuels has been aggravating the natural thermal changes. Environmentalists further urge the general public to act towards helping preserve earth because man’s activities are not only lessening human survival but of his co-planetary habitants as well. Polar Bears’ Hierarchy in the Arctic Kingdom            Polar bears are known to be the world’s largest land predator. (Briggs, 2003, par. 9) Adult females normally weigh 330 to 550 pounds but males can be as heavy as 775 to 1500 pounds. (Polar Bears International, 2008, par. 4)            Polar bears, as can be shown in the Food Chain Model below, are on top of the food chain in the arctic regions and feed on ringed seals and walruses. Polar Bear Beluga                 Ringed Seal         Thick-Billed Murres              Walrus Bowheaded Whale               Arctic Cod                Arctic Tern Zooplankton Source: Assignment Discovery School Lesson Plan, p. 3 Phytoplankton            Although humans have taken it upon themselves to care for their environment, sharing responsibility is not always easy. There used to be concerns between Norway and Russia, as to who should be responsible for the care of the Ursus maritimus or polar bear since they can be found in both countries. A study made by Mette Mauritzen (2002) and her colleagues used satellite telemetry to obtain data from 105 female polar bears over a dozen of years and the results showed that the different subpopulations in the different locations are all part of one continuous polar bear population. This means that both countries need to share management responsibility for the species. Global Warming and the Arctic            Many scientists are saying that the current state of global warming is too fast. Some say that it will only take around 50 years before the ice in the Arctic will melt while others say it may take around 100 years. The length of time is irrelevant because the urgency of combating global warming can truly be seen with its predicted and already on-going effects. According to NASA Engineer Josefino C. Comiso (2003), his satellite observations show that the twenty year trend in situ surface temperature is eight times larger than the 100 year trend which means that the sea is warming much faster than normal. He also presumes that by the year 2050, the ice lying over the continental shelf would be displaced into the polar basin. Polar Bears and Global Warming            According to an article written by Eric Chivian (2001) entitled Environment and health: Species loss and ecosystem disruption  the implications for human health, global climate change, stratospheric ozone depletion, and the negative results of other man-made activities threaten biodiversity, but it is the degradation, reduction and fragmentation of habitats that is the greatest threat.            According to a very extensive study made by Andrew Derocher, Nicholas Lunn and Ian Stirling (2004) entitled Polar Bears in a Warming Climate, factors such as the decreasing area of Arctic Sea Ice, lessened multiyear ice, timing of ice formation or break-up, denning, movements of the bears on the sea ice, quantity of prey, human-polar bear interactions and pollution all combine to threaten the survival of the species. Arctic Sea Ice                                                                                                                According to the IUCN/ Species Survival Commission Polar Bear Specialist Group (2002, pp. 21-35), polar bears have been able to occupy sea ice habitats throughout the Arctic with its population estimated at 21,500 to 25,000. Arctic Sea Ice are used by polar bears to transport themselves over the water to prey on seals. Lessening the number of arctic ice would greatly affect the food resource of the species. Lessened Multiyear Ice                                           According to a previous report by Comiso (2002b cited in Derocher, 2004) the ice cover in the Arctic is already declining at the rate of 9% every ten years; which means that the ice may be all gone in just one hundred years. Since polar bears are fully dependent on their icy habitat, losing the ice can lead to their extinction. Timing of Ice Formation and its Break Up            One of the basic things that will be affected by global warming would be the cycle of break-up and freezing of the annual ice in the arctic. Some scientists believe that global warming affects the cycle by making the ice break up earlier annually while delaying its freeze. In Canada’s Western Hudson Bay, the annual ice break-up is observed to be occurring about 2.5 weeks earlier than 3 decades ago. (Stirling, et.al. cited in Derocher, 2004) This is important because when the ice breaks sooner, the polar bears have shortened time to feed on seals which can greatly affect the conditions of their bodies throughout the year. Their bodies would not have been able to get enough of the fat they would need for their four-month fast.            According to other studies previously done by Derocher and Stirling (1995b cited in Derocher, 2004), adult polar bears lose around .85 to .90 kilograms of body mass daily during fasts. With the abrupt breaking of ice that would end feeding period earlier and the delayed freezing, polar bears will lose their weight abnormally due to the longer time they need to fast. Although it may seem trivial, this has a significant effect on the pregnant polar bears. If these female pregnant polar bears fall beyond 189 kilograms of weight due to the long fasting period, chances of delivering the cub become nil. Denning            Female polar bears have favorite places to den. To reach these places, the ice cycles should be regular to be able to help these bears reach their destinations on time. Also, with the ice melting and making the area farther to swim to, it is becoming difficult for polar bears to reach their favorite locations.            There are some subspecies that do may not be particular with their den locations because they are able to den on drifting multiyear ice. These polar bears are currently able to raise the cubs well. However, with global warming affecting the multiyear ice, these bears may have to be on the floating ice longer than necessary which means more energy wasted. This can also be detrimental to the cubs which are not yet fully developed and equipped to weather the weary conditions. If this happens, then global warming will affect the population because of the cubs that can be lost due to the conditions mentioned.            For polar bear populations that prefer to go back to their maternity dens, another problem that could threaten their natural activity would be that while the planet warms, the flora and fauna in the area would also be drier making these prone to fire. Warmer dens with fire-risks are not suitable for pregnant polar bears and their cubs. Movements of Polar Bears on the Sea Ice            Because of warmer sea temperatures and an increase in sea winds due to global warming, sea ice will thin easily and this may cause this major transportation for polar bears to become unstable or drift faster. If it moves much faster, the species would need to spend more energy in reaching their preferred locations. Although polar bears love to swim, using too much energy can also cause poor health and reproduction for the polar bears. Observations also note that polar bears move to land when sea ice quantity goes below half of its normal number. This could be because more energy is spent moving on top of drifting ice compared to walking on solid icy ground. A decrease in the number of sea ice drifting also lessens the opportunities to hunt for more prey. Availability of Prey            A decrease in sea ice has its effects on the productivity of seals, which are the main food of polar bears. Seals rely on sea ice for their maternity activities, lessening the quantity of sea ice drifting due to global warming will also lessen the population of seals.            There were observations in 1979 that warmer temperatures and rain resulted to the easy uncovering of seal pup lairs that made it thrice easier for polar bears to catch them. (Hammil and Smith, 1991 cited in Derocher, 2004) If this can become a trend wherein in warmer temperatures will cause the earlier onset of rain which will wash away the protection of seal pups, then, it is also possible that the population of ringed seals will decline as newborns are given less chances of survival.            Polar bears rely on sea ice to be able to catch seals. Lessening the number of sea ice would also decrease its opportunities to catch the prey. Very few polar bears have been observed to have enough ability to catch its prey in open waters. The species may have more luck in getting their food when walrus or seals are hauled out on terrestrial habitats but only few individuals of the species are known to have this ability.            Another aspect that needs to be discussed is the way the polar bears eat their prey. The adult male polar bears prefer the blubber of their prey and usually leave much of the protein behind (Stirling and McEwan, 1975 cited in Derocher, 2004) for younger polar bears who are not yet good in catching prey. With global warming altering the food sources and the way polar bears spend their energy, there will likely be less left-over food for the younger generations of cubs to eat which can decrease the population size. Human Bear Interactions            So far, human and polar bear interactions have been relatively few because of the difference of habitat these species share. However, if global warming will cause the ice to melt and lessen the current quantity of food, the bears may have to wander nearer human dwellings for their own chances of survival. However, this can be fatal for both species because humans may have to get rid of the polar bear for protection or else the bear will consider the human its prey. More human interaction will also increase the polar bears’ exposure to pollutants which can affect its population. Remediation Program            Polar bears have been under the protection of the different governments their habitats are found. There are already laws in place to ban hunting except for scientific purposes and changes in marine transportation routes to lessen the pollution that can endanger the species.            However, global warming is still an issue that can be better addressed by the public. Although more and more advocates have been trying their best to cause enough awareness about the problem of greenhouse gases, a good remediation program for the polar bears would be dependent on a good program against global warming.            The greenhouse effect of global warming is said to be caused by methane and carbon dioxide which form a layer in the atmosphere. This layer keeps the heat being produced within the earth from going out of the planet under normal atmospheric circumstances. Carbon dioxide is a natural gas humans and animals excrete when they process oxygen while methane is released into the atmosphere when the earth is being dug up. Polluted air from vehicles are also carbon dioxide emissions that hasten the greenhouse effect. There are other sources of global warming such as the destruction of the ozone layer due to man’s use of chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), over population while decreasing tropical rain forests, etc.            To help stunt the detrimental effects of global warming, people and governments must put aside financial gains and demerits because not only do the polar bears need to survive but man as well. There are already many programs being done by different environmentalists like the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), Humane Society of the United States and International fund for Animal Welfare to help lessen the threats on polar bear survival.            Global warming has already been addressed world-wide and one of the agreements that had never been fully implemented is the Kyoto Protocol. Many countries including the United States and United Kingdom have signed and agreed to the terms of the bargain wherein the member governments will bring down their carbon dioxide emissions to levels safer for humans and other creatures alike. According to the treaty, these nations would also exchange technologies that could help reverse the problems of global warming.            However, the U.S. and other countries failed to implement it and continue to bypass the promises made during the planning of this pact. Therefore, I believe that remediation programs are already in place but these need the sincerity of governments, especially the ones powerful economically, to succeed.            Beyond government efforts, individuals can truly help force governments to fulfill their environmental obligations by lobbying for the implementation of the Kyoto Protocol and other environmental issues.            In 2006, Julius Kenneth Ningu and his colleagues made a report on how the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) was creating negative effects on Mexico’s environment. According to the report, the country had good environmental policies in place and the government was strict in implementing it until the agreement forced it into an economic crisis. In just a few years, the government had to relax on its environmental policies to enable private corporations to weather the economic crisis and for the country to be able to meet the standards of the agreement. By â€Å"2002, the costs of environmental degradation amounted to 65,934 million dollars but the expenses made to protect the environment was only 3,473 million dollars.†Governments must therefore also be forced to put into place stricter laws that would protect the environment (not only of their own country but of the countries they deal with for capital g rowth).            Lessening use of fossil fuel is a must and the public must support the new inventions being made that would help decrease the problem of global warming. Spending more money on machines that produce cleaner air may be more expensive but worthwhile in terms of survival. Scientific Debates            Polar bears are very cool in their own habitat and naà ¯ve to how scientists continually debate on whether they are going towards extinction or not. Some believe that climate change will not pose substantial problems with polar bear species survival while a relevant population in the scientific community believes that the melting of the ice in these mammals’ habitat will threaten their existence. The U.S. Senate has already debunked the idea that polar bears are going towards extinction because of reports that the polar bear population is at its highest peak as of the current years and that research already shows that the species can was able to withstand the interglacial period which was much warmer . (US Senate, 2008) Conclusion            The survival of polar bears may not be a big issue as of the moment because it can actually be true that they can survive even worse temperatures. However, global warming is not just an issue worth noting for polar bear survival but for human existence as well. Governments must find the will to implement the laws that they already know are correct to be able to help all humans survive. It is only through the sincere will of strong and economically stable governments that a cool change can really be met. References Assignment Discovery School Lesson Plan. (n.d.). Retrieved April 2, 2008, from            http://school.discoveryeducation.com/lessonplans/pdf/biomes_wildarctic/biomes_wildarc            tic.pdf. Briggs, H. (2003). Polar Bear ‘Extinct Within 100 Years.’ BBC News, Science/Nature. Retrieved            April 2, 2008 from http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/2642773.stm. Chivian, E. (2001). Environment and health: 7. Species loss and ecosystem disruption  the            implications for human health. Canadian Medical Association Journal, Vol. 164 (3). 365-            369. Comiso, J. (2003). Warming Trends in the Arctic from Clear Sky Satellite Observations. Journal  of Climate, Vol. (21), pp. 3498-3510. Derocher, A., Lunn, N.J. and Stirling, I. (2004). Polar Bears in a Warming Climate. Integrative            and Comparative Biology 2004 44(2),163-176. IUCN/SSC Polar Bear Specialist Group. (2002) In N. J. Lunn, S. Schliebe, and E. W. Born            (eds.), Polar bears: Proceedings of the 13th Working Meeting of the IUCN Polar Bear            Specialist Group. IUCN, Gland, Switzerland and Cambridge, U.K. Mauritzen, M., Derocher, A.E., Wiig, O., Belikov, S.E., Boltunov, A.N., Hansen, E., et.al.            (2002). Using satellite telemetry to define spatial population structure in polar bears in            the Norwegian and western Russian Arctic. Journal of Applied Ecology 39 (1) , 79–90. Ningu, J.K., Jacome, J.T., Silva Gomez, S.E. and Aviles, R.P. (2006). The Effects of North            America Free Trade Agreement on Mexican Environmental Policy (1994-2004).            American Journal of Environmental Sciences Vol. 2(1). Pp. 5-8. Polar Bears International. (2008). About the Polar Bear. Retrieved April 2, 2008, from            http://www.polarbearsinternational.org/bear-facts/about-the-polar-bear/ U.S. Senate Environment and Public Works Committee. (2008). U.S. Senate Report Debunks Polar Bear Extinction Fears. Retrieved April 2, 2008, from http://epw.senate.gov/public/ index.cfm?FuseAction=Minority.Facts&ContentRecord_id=cb2faa9c-802a-23ad-4bcc- 29bb94ceb993.
Friday, August 30, 2019
Thinking Skills
Eric Garner Thinking Skills Using Your Brain in the Information Age Download free ebooks at bookboon. com 2 Thinking Skills: Using Your Brain in the Information Age  © 2012 Eric Garner & Ventus Publishing ApS ISBN 978-87-7681-966-8 Download free ebooks at bookboon. com 3 Thinking Skills Contents Contents Preface 9 1 What Are Thinking Skills? 10 1. 1 The Potential of the Brain 10 1. 2 Brain Power 10 1. 3 Exploding the Myths 10 1. 4 Brainworks 10 1. 5 Brain not Brawn 11 1. 6 Management Thinking 11 1. 7 Thinking Matters 11 1. 8 Key Points 12 2 Positive Thinking 13 2. 1 Untrained Thinking 13 2. 2Distorted Thinking 14 2. 3 Catastrophising 14 2. 4 Confusion 15 2. 5 Distraction 15 2. 6 Yo-Yo Thinking 15 Please click the advert The next step for top-performing graduates Masters in Management Designed for high-achieving graduates across all disciplines, London Business School’s Masters in Management provides specific and tangible foundations for a successful career in business. This 12-month, full-time programme is a business qualification with impact. In 2010, our MiM employment rate was 95% within 3 months of graduation*; the majority of graduates choosing to work in consulting or financial services.As well as a renowned qualification from a world-class business school, you also gain access to the School’s network of more than 34,000 global alumni – a community that offers support and opportunities throughout your career. For more information visit www. london. edu/mm, email [email protected] edu or give us a call on + 44 (0)20 7000 7573. * Figures taken from London Business School’s Masters in Management 2010 employment report Download free ebooks at bookboon. com 4 Thinking Skills Contents 2. 7 The Self-Image 15 2. 8 Positive Re-Framing 16 2. 9 Expecting the Best 16 2. 10Your Brain Wants Success 16 2. 11 Key Points 16 3 Improve Your Memory 17 3. 1 Synaesthesia 17 3. 2 Landmarks 17 3. 3 The Peg System 18 3. 4 Rhymes 18 3. 5 Mnemonics 18 3. 6 Remembering People’s Names 18 3. 7 Repetition 18 3. 8 Key Points 19 4 Blocks to Thinking 20 4. 1 Assumptions 20 4. 2 See Things from Other Points Of View 20 4. 3 Thinking and Doing 20 4. 4 Get Rid Of Lazy Thinking Habits 21 4. 5 Think like A Child 21 4. 6 See the Detail As Well As the Big Picture 21 Please click the advert Teach with the Best. Learn with the Best. Agilent offers a wide variety of affordable, industry-leading lectronic test equipment as well as knowledge-rich, on-line resources â€â€for professors and students. We have 100’s of comprehensive web-based teaching tools, lab experiments, application notes, brochures, DVDs/ CDs, posters, and more. See what Agilent can do for you. www. agilent. com/? nd/EDUstudents www. agilent. com/? nd/EDUeducators  © Agilent Technologies, Inc. 2012 u. s. 1-800-829-4444 canada: 1-877-894-4414 Download free ebooks at bookboon. com 5 Thinking Skills Contents 21 Time to Think 21 4. 9 Key Points 22 5 Logical Thinki ng 23 5. 1 Left-Brain Thinking 23 5. 2 Right Brain Thinking 4 5. 3 Managerial Thinking 24 5. 4 Logical Thinking 24 5. 5 SMART Goals 25 5. 6 Systematic Planning 25 5. 7 Using Information 25 5. 8 The Limits of Information 26 5. 9 Key Points 27 6 Creative Thinking 28 6. 1 Think like A Child 28 6. 2 Be More Curious 29 6. 3 Play with Ideas 29 6. 4 Make New Connections 29 6. 5 Be A Little Illogical 30 6. 6 Laugh More 30 You’re full of energy and ideas. And that’s just what we are looking for.  © UBS 2010. All rights reserved. Think For Yourself 4. 8 Please click the advert 4. 7 Looking for a career where your ideas could really make a di? rence? UBS’s Graduate Programme and internships are a chance for you to experience for yourself what it’s like to be part of a global team that rewards your input and believes in succeeding together. Wherever you are in your academic career, make your future a part of ours by visiting www. ubs. com/graduates. www. ubs. com/g raduates Download free ebooks at bookboon. com 6 Thinking Skills Contents Think Outside Your Limits 30 6. 8 Key Points 31 7 Brainstorming 32 7. 1 Brainstorming 32 7. 2 A Brainstorming Session 33 7. 3 An Example of Brainstorming: The Honey Pot 34 . 4 Brainwriting 35 7. 5 Key Points 36 8 Decision-Taking 37 8. 1 Time Them 37 8. 2 Align Them 38 8. 3 Balance Them 39 8. 4 Act When You Have To 39 8. 5 Use a Decision-Making Model 8. 6 Instinct 8. 7 Don’t Decide Without Acting 8. 8 Keep Your Decision under Review 8. 9 Key Points 9 Problem-Solving 9. 1 Please click the advert 6. 7 The Problem with Problems 360 ° thinking . 360 ° thinking 39 . 42 42 43 43 44 44 360 ° thinking . Discover the truth at www. deloitte. ca/careers  © Deloitte & Touche LLP and affiliated entities. Discover the truth at www. deloitte. ca/careers Deloitte & Touche LLP and affiliated entities. Download free ebooks at bookboon. com  © Deloitte & Touche LLP and affiliated entities. Discover the truth7at w ww. deloitte. ca/careers  © Deloitte & Touche LLP and affiliated entities. D Thinking Skills Contents The Classical Approach 45 9. 3 Do Nothing 45 9. 4 Take Your Time 45 9. 5 Sleep On It 46 9. 6 Attack the Problem 46 9. 7 Two Heads are Better than One 46 9. 8 Occam’s Razor and the Five Whys 46 9. 9 Key Points 48 10 Innovation 49 10. 1 Create an Innovative Climate 49 10. 2 Keep Your Eyes Open 49 10. 3 Dreams and Daydreams 50 10. 4Develop Washing-Up Creativity 50 10. 5 Make New Connections 50 10. 6 Necessity is the Mother of Innovation 51 10. 7 Test, Test, Test 51 10. 8 Adopt and Adapt 51 10. 9 Take Lessons from Nature 51 10. 10 Key Points 52 11 Web Resources on â€Å"Thinking Skills†53 Please click the advert 9. 2 Download free ebooks at bookboon. com 8 Thinking Skills Preface Preface Introduction to Thinking Skills Thinking Skills are some of the most valuable skills you can learn today. The reason is simple. While in the past, people went to work for their manual s kills, today they go to work for their mental skills.We live in an Information Age, no longer an Industrial Age. That’s why brain has replaced brawn, and strength in thinking has replaced strength in muscles. No matter what kind of business you work for, nor what kind of job you do, today you are expected to apply a range of thinking skills to the work you carry out. This includes using your judgment; collecting, using, and analyzing information; working with others to solve problems; making decisions on behalf of others; contributing to ideas to innovate and change; and being creative about how your job can function better.This book covers all of these skills. It will show you that, whatever you think about your mental abilities or the level of your IQ or your formal education, your brain is the most powerful organ you possess. It is the tool that, if used skillfully, can help you perform better in your job, better in your team and better in your organization. By developing your thinking skills to meet the needs of the modern world, you are guaranteed to succeed. Profile of Author Eric Garner Eric Garner is an experienced management trainer with a knack for bringing the best out of individuals and teams.Eric founded ManageTrainLearn in 1995 as a corporate training company in the UK specialising in the 20 skills that people need for professional and personal success today. Since 2002, as part of KSA Training Ltd, ManageTrainLearn has been a major player in the e-learning market. Eric has a simple mission: to turn ManageTrainLearn into the best company in the world for producing and delivering quality online management products. Profile of ManageTrainLearn ManageTrainLearn is one of the top companies on the Internet for management training products, materials, and resources.Products range from training course plans to online courses, manuals to teambuilder exercises, mobile management apps to one-page skill summaries and a whole lot more. Whether youâ₠¬â„¢re a manager, trainer, or learner, you’ll find just what you need at ManageTrainLearn to skyrocket your professional and personal success. http://www. managetrainlearn. com Download free ebooks at bookboon. com 9 Thinking Skills What Are Thinking Skills? 1 What Are Thinking Skills? Few of us spend much time consciously practising thinking skills. We believe that thinking is either a natural function or believe that the great thinkers among us are gifted.Nothing could be further from the truth. All research shows that each of us has a hugely powerful potential in our brains that lies vastly under-used. Moreover, when faced with a wide range of unsolveable problems in our lives, the need to use this potential has never been greater. 1. 1 The Potential of the Brain The facts about the brain are truly stupendous. For example, did you know that the human brain takes up a fifth of all the energy generated by your body in its resting state? It is similar to a 20-watt light bulb continuously glowing. How big do you think the brain is?Well, if you can imagine it, your brain consists of 100 billion cells, each one of which connects to 1000 other brain cells making a total of 100,000 billion connections. There are more cell connection points in the human brain than there are stars in our galaxy. As Norman Cousins put it, â€Å"Not even the universe with all its countless billions of galaxies represents greater wonder or complexity than the human brain. †1. 2 Brain Power Here are some more astonishing facts about your brain. Although the brain weighs just 3lb, it contains 12 trillion nerve cells (more than two and a half times the people on this planet).It contains 1000 trillion trillion molecules (way beyond our ability to compute), and can process 30 billion bits of information a second. Your brain has 10 billion neurons and the range of connections all the neurons in the brain could make would amount to one with 28 noughts after it. Just stop and wri te that down to get a feel for what that is. Your brain has enough atomic energy to build any of the world’s major cities many times over. Unsurprisingly, no human being has yet existed who has been able to use all the potential of the brain. How about you? 1. 3 Exploding the MythsOne of the reasons we fail to make the most of our brain and, therefore, our thinking skills, is that we hang on to a range of inherited assumptions about our brain and our capacity to think. Many of us believe that, contrary to the facts, we are either born bright or stupid. We think that we are only as intelligent as our measured Intelligence Quotient (IQ) and that this is fixed throughout our lives. We think that, when we run up against big problems, they just can’t be solved. We fret over taking decisions and bemoan our ability to choose wisely. We think that we are stuck with the way we think and that we cannot change it.And to top things off, we think that, as we age, our brain declines and with it, our abilities to remember things. The only one of these assumptions that is true is that it is only our thinking that limits the power of our brains. 1. 4 Brainworks A simple look at what we ask of our brains is enough to show us what a wonderful organ this is. First, unlike other species (at least to our knowledge), we are the only species that can think in the 3 dimensions of past, present, and future. We can use our brains to interpret our world in any way we choose, at one extreme, positively and, at the other, negatively.We can use our brains for working out answers to logical problems as well as using it imaginatively to work out answers to Download free ebooks at bookboon. com 10 Thinking Skills What Are Thinking Skills? illogical problems. We can imagine with our brains, invent and innovate. We can learn, change and develop. We can use our brains to interpret, understand, and become wise. We can use our brains to analyse things and to synthesise things. And, ag ain, uniquely for species on this planet, we can use our brains to think about our thinking. The brain is truly the most complex and versatile tool we have in our bodies. 1. 5 Brain not BrawnGiven the wonderful instrument that our brains are, it is astonishing that, until very recently, thinking was regarded in industrialised countries as a second-class skill. For several centuries, people were employed first for their manual labour, secondly, for their machine-operating skill and lastly, and only if called upon, for their thinking ability. Today, all that has changed. We no longer live in an industrialised age but an information age. Instead of brawn, the successful companies and economies of today and the future need brains. They are the ones that will harness, use and reward the combined thinking abilities of everyone in them. . 6 Management Thinking So what kind of thinking skills do we need in the Information Age? Mike Pedler and Tom Boydell are researchers who have studied the qualities needed by successful workers. They found that at least half of the key skills are those that relate to how we use our brains. Their list reads: 1. command of basic facts 2. relevant professional understanding 3. continuing sensitivity to events 4. analytical, problem-solving, decision-taking and judgment-making skills 5. social skills and abilities 6. emotional resilience 7. proactivity: an ability to respond purposefully to events 8. reativity 9. mental agility 10. balanced learning habits 11. self-knowledge 1. 7 Thinking Matters All of us are capable of developing our thinking in all these different skills. But we are slow to change. Percy Barnevik, former chairman of ABB says, â€Å"Organisations ensure people only use 5 to 10% of their abilities at work. Outside of work, the same people engage the other 90 to 95%. †By contrast, Jack Welch, former CEO of General Electric, says that encouraging ideas was one of his top three tasks, (the other two were, selecting the right people and allocating capital resources).One of Welch’s typical approaches was to ask his managers not only what their ideas were, but who they shared them with, and who adopted them. When the factory of American entrepreneur and founder of IBM, Thomas Watson, burnt down, Watson was surprisingly unfazed. When asked why, he said that the wealth of his business was not based in his offices, assembly lines, and buildings but in the intellectual capital of his employees. He said, â€Å"I can re-build the offices and buildings. But I could never replace the combined knowledge, abilities and thinking skills of my people. †Download free ebooks at bookboon. om 11 Thinking Skills What Are Thinking Skills? 1. 8 Key Points 1. The human brain is so powerful that few of us come anywhere near to using it as well as we could. 2. Every person has the ability to think intelligently and creatively. 3. The brain is the source of key mental faculties such as memory, imaginatio n, creativity and innovation. 4. The brain is the key tool for mastering the modern information age. 5. Everyone in a modern organisation is a knowledge worker to some extent. 6. According to research, half the skills needed by successful workers involve the use of thinking skills.Download free ebooks at bookboon. com 12 Thinking Skills Positive Thinking 2 Positive Thinking For much of the time our thoughts let us down. They are confused, disjointed and reactive. They don’t have to be. Through training our thoughts to be positive, focused and assertive, we can at a stroke improve the quality of our thinking. 2. 1 Untrained Thinking When we treat the brain as an unknown quantity that we cannot manage, then our untrained thinking is likely to consist of all or some of the following: 1. doubts, fears and catastrophising: the phenomenon of letting one bad thought colour the rest of our thinking 2. antasising: imagining the worst is likely to happen and directing all our thoughts to planning for it 3. self-deprecating: letting mistakes and failures lead us to believe we’re not good enough 4. remembering the worst: worrying about something we did in the past that we can’t change 5. confusion: having no clear goals or plans 6. reactive thinking: thinking in habitual or limiting ways 7. distraction: the inability to concentrate and direct our thoughts at will. Download free ebooks at bookboon. com 13 Thinking Skills Positive Thinking 2. 2 Distorted Thinking There are many common types of distorted thinking. Here are four.First, there is lazy thinking where we think in habitual ways rather than in questioning our thoughts. Second, there is compulsive and obsessive thinking where the same thoughts reverberate in our heads again and again. Third, we continually think in musts, should, and oughts when we use our brains to judge what we do and how we think. Fourth, there is black-and-white thinking, where we swing from believing that things are wholly good one minute and wholly bad the next. All of these are negative and limiting types of thinking. 2. 3 Catastrophising In an untrained person, doubts and fears can form a large part of what passes for thinking.Doubts and fears start small but can feed on themselves until they take over. It’s what happens when having left home, the thought occurs that we left the gas or electric on: very soon all our thinking is swamped by this one fear of catastrophe. Here is an anecdote that shows what can happen in the untrained thinking mind. A woman is driving along the motorway at night. Her thoughts start to race: â€Å"What if I get a puncture on the motorway? I’ll have to stop and walk through the dark to the nearest garage. Then I’ll have to ask someone to come out and fix the tyre. They’re bound to charge the earth at this time of night.They’re bound to look down their nose at me as well. What a nerve! †Just then she arrives at the garage, still thinking these thoughts, fills up her tank, and as she goes to pay her bill, blurts out to the astonished cashier: â€Å"†¦ and you can keep your bloody jack as well. †your chance Please click the advert to change the world Here at Ericsson we have a deep rooted belief that the innovations we make on a daily basis can have a profound effect on making the world a better place for people, business and society. Join us. In Germany we are especially looking for graduates as Integration Engineers for †¢ Radio Access and IP Networks IMS and IPTV We are looking forward to getting your application! To apply and for all current job openings please visit our web page: www. ericsson. com/careers Download free ebooks at bookboon. com 14 Thinking Skills Positive Thinking 2. 4 Confusion A good exercise to find out what you habitually think about is to take time out to sit and relax and jot down the kind of thoughts you automatically get. A series of such â€Å"soil samplingâ₠¬ usually produces a mixture of thoughts: we have thoughts about things on our mind, thoughts about pressing needs such as â€Å"I’m hungry†and thoughts coming in because of external interference.For many people the content of what normally goes on in their heads is jumbled and confused. â€Å"Life does not consist mainly – or even largely – of facts and happenings. It consists mainly of the storm of thoughts that is forever blowing through one’s head. †(Mark Twain) 2. 5 Distraction The human brain connects to 24,000 ear fibres, 500,000 touch detectors, 200,000 temperature sensors and 4 million pain sensors. It is no wonder that with this capacity to absorb information, we find it hard to concentrate on just one thing at a time. So, instead of focusing, we let our minds wander.Instead of thinking what we need t say, we say the first thing that comes into our heads. Instead of getting to the point, we let our minds go walk about. 2. 6 Yo- Yo Thinking As well as being distracted, many of us have a tendency to swing from a positive mood to a negative one in what we might call â€Å"yo-yo thinking†: one minute up, the next minute down. The story is told of the farmer whose ox died and, in panic, went to the wise man of the village and wailed: â€Å"I will be ruined. Isn’t this the worst thing that has ever happened to me? The wise man replied: â€Å"Maybe so, maybe not†. A few days later, the farmer caught a stray horse on his land and used it to plough the fields in half the time he would have taken with the ox. He returned to the wise man and said: â€Å"Isn’t this the best thing that has ever happened to me? †Again, the wise man replied: â€Å"Maybe so, maybe not†. Three days later, while still overjoyed with his good fortune, the horse threw the farmer’s son into a ditch and broke his leg. Moral: Things are rarely as good – or as bad – as we think. 2. 7 The Self-ImageThe self-image is the key player in our thoughts. To understand its importance we need to turn Rene Descartes’ maxim, â€Å"I think, therefore I am†, back-to-front into: I AM WHAT I THINK. Whatever we think we are, we are. Our self-talk creates our self-image. This is because our thoughts are always directed to proving what we want to believe. So, if we think we are stupid at maths, our thoughts will automatically seek evidence that proves it and ignore evidence to the contrary. Similarly, if we think we are quite clever at maths, we will seek evidence to prove it.So, the key to releasing the potential of our thinking is to build a confident self-image in which our thinking is a partner in describing who we see ourselves to be. â€Å"Life consists of what a man is thinking about all day. †(Ralph Waldo Emerson) Download free ebooks at bookboon. com 15 Thinking Skills Positive Thinking 2. 8 Positive Re-Framing The reason why a positive self-image and positive thinking succeeds isn’t only mental. It is also physical. Studies have demonstrated that the neurons in the hippocampus (a part of the brain responsible for day-to-day memory and new learning) can shrink when we are stressed.Dendrites, the connecting wires between brain cells, have been known to permanently shrivel in response to negative thinking. On the other hand, love, affection and happy moods can strengthen these dendrites and enhance our ability to solve intellectual and practical problems. The negative thinker’s answer to: â€Å"Can you play the piano as well as Barenboim? †is probably, â€Å"No, I never could. †The positive thinker’s answer is â€Å"Not yet. †2. 9 Expecting the Best Most of us find it easy to worry, but we invariably worry about the worst that might happen to us.By changing our thought direction, we can replace worrying about the worst into worrying about the best. Worrying positively has the same ch aracteristics as negative worrying: nagging thought patterns; visualising ourselves in the situation; playing and replaying every possible angle; hearing what we will say, feeling what we will feel, saying to ourselves what we will say. Olympic javelin thrower Steve Backleypractised positive worry when he sprained his ankle four weeks before a major competition. Instead of giving up, he mentally practised his throws from his armchair until he had made over a thousand throws.When the competition came, Backley made the throws he had mentally made and won. 2. 10 Your Brain Wants Success For much of the 20th century, it was thought that the brain was a trial and error mechanism: we tried something and if it worked, fine. If it didn’t work, too bad. End of story. We now know differently. The brain is not a trial and error mechanism but a trial and success mechanism. When set a clear goal, it actually seeks out not error but success. Error is not incorrect or faulty programming but simply deviation from the correct course. We set our goals.We try, succeed, succeed, succeed, succeed, succeed, make an error, check, adjust, succeed, succeed. Your brain actually wants you to succeed and it lets you know that you can succeed through training your brain to think in constructive, creative, and positive ways. 2. 11 Key Points 1. Untrained thinking is often confusing, distracted and negative. 2. Trained thinking is usually focused, confident and positive. 3. The human brain believes what we let it believe rather than what it knows to be true. 4. Worrying negatively is the same process as worrying positively so just change your focus. 5. Yo-yo thinking†is alternately thinking things are very good or things are very bad. 6. The key to making the best use of our thoughts is to build a positive and confident self-image. Download free ebooks at bookboon. com 16 Thinking Skills Improve Your Memory 3 Improve Your Memory Most of us complain at some time about our poor memories – especially when we forget things that are important, such as birthdays, anniversaries and meetings. But it is not memory that lets us down. Our brains remember everything we have ever experienced; we know this from near-death experiences, hypnosis and feelings of deja vu.What is at fault is our ability to recall. Here are 7 ways we can help our ability to recall facts and experiences of the past. 3. 1 Synaesthesia Synaesthesia is the association of memory with our senses. Dr Frank Staub of Yale University demonstrated that you can easily improve your memory when you link the things you want to remember with a memorable sight, sound, feeling, taste or smell. In one experiment, he wafted the aroma of sweet chocolate over a group of students who were preparing for an exam. On the day of the exam, he released the same aroma while the students were taking the exam.The result was that these students out-performed everyone else. 3. 2 Landmarks The reason why synaesthesia works is because what we want to recall is associated with a striking landmark. Landmarks don’t have to be limited to the five senses. They can be anything emotional, shocking, funny, unexpected, silly, embarrassing, or outrageous. That’s why people can recall precisely what they were doing at the time of shocking news events, such as the assassination of John Kennedy or the death of Diana, Princess of Wales. It’s also why we never forget our first day at school, a beautiful romantic holiday, and our first teenage kiss. Graduate Programme for Engineers and Geoscientists I joined MITAS because I wanted real responsibili Please click the advert Maersk. com/Mitas Real work Internationa al International opportunities ree wor o ree work placements Month 16 was I was a construction supervisor in the North Sea advising and helping foremen he solve problems s Download free ebooks at bookboon. com 17 Thinking Skills Improve Your Memory 3. 3 The Peg System The peg system is a great way to remember a sequence of numbers, for example the phone number 302187.All you do is give each number a rhyming â€Å"peg†word and then make up a crazy, silly or exaggerated story about it with the words in the right order. So, let’s say 3 = knee, 0 (nought) = wart, 2 = glue, 1 = sun, 8 = gate, and 7 = heaven. We could then make up the following story: â€Å"First I wrote the phone number on my knee around a wart. I put some glue on it to keep it in place. Suddenly the sun came out, so I went out the gate and found myself in heaven. †Try it. You’ll find the story is always easier to remember than the numbers. 3. 4 RhymesThe Peg System works because we associate a number with a rhyming word, eg 8 and â€Å"gate†, 2 and â€Å"glue†. The same principle holds true for much more complex pieces of information. So rhymes help us remember that â€Å"In fourteen hundred and eighty two, Columbus sailed the ocean blue†(and disc overed America); that â€Å"i before e, except after c†(for spelling words like â€Å"believe†and â€Å"receipt†); and that â€Å"30 days hath September, April, June and November†¦Ã¢â‚¬ (for remembering the days of the months). 3. 5 Mnemonics Rhyming words like these are known as mnemonics, after the Greek goddess of memory, Mnemosyne.Another type of mnemonic is associating letters with names in a certain sequence. So, â€Å"My Very Educated Mother Just Served Us Nine Pizzas†will instantly help you remember the sequence of the nine planets of the solar system, simply be looking at the first letters of each word. Making the sequence: Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto. The great thing with mnenonics is that you can make up your own sentences for things you want to remember and you can personalize them to your own situations or make them as silly as you want (remember, silly is memorable). 3. 6 Remembering Pe ople’s NamesThe idea of associating something we want to remember with personal, silly, or funny associations is the key to remembering people’s names. Let’s say you’re introduced to a MrLazenby. All you need to do is picture him lazing on a summer’s day on a B road and you’ll remember his name. Similarly, a MrsPakenham could be imagined packing ‘em in in a fish factory and a Mr Forsyth could be pictured as a gardener with four scythes. The reason why these associations work is that you’re using both sides of your brain. Your left brain holds the name. Your right brain remembers the silly image. Together they help you recall. 3. Repetition One of the important keys to all these memory tricks is repetition. When we first collect a new piece of information, it goes straight into our short-term memories. This can only take 8 seconds. The trouble is, the short-term memory is a holding area for new information and unless we move stuf f out, it will quickly be replaced with newer information. Moving information out means moving it into our long-term memories where it can remain indefinitely. The problem here is, it can take anything up to 6 hours to get something firmly embedded. And that’s where repetition, review, and replay come to the rescue.Some scientists regard memory as the Rosetta Stone of the brain: the key that unlocks all the secrets of the mind. In an age of information, where most people are knowledge workers of one sort or another, having a good memory and being able to make the most of what you know isn’t just nice to have; it is essential. Download free ebooks at bookboon. com 18 Thinking Skills Improve Your Memory 3. 8 Key Points 1. When we forget something it is not because of a poor memory but because of our inability to recall. 2. There are various ways to increase our power of recall, all making use of our imaginative right brains. . Events that are shocking, emotional and sill y stay in the memory longer than things that are mundane and normal. 4. You can remember an event more vividly when you associate it with one or more of your five senses, such as smell or taste 5. Mnemonics are one of the best ways to remember lengthy or complex information by associating numbers with rhyming sounds. 6. To move information from your short-term memory into your long-term memory, you need to repeat it Please click the advert enough times to make it stick. We will turn your CV into an opportunity of a lifetime Do you like cars?Would you like to be a part of a successful brand? We will appreciate and reward both your enthusiasm and talent. Send us your CV. You will be surprised where it can take you. Send us your CV on www. employerforlife. com Download free ebooks at bookboon. com 19 Thinking Skills Blocks to Thinking 4 Blocks to Thinking Thinking, like communicating, is one of those functions we think we should be good at because we do it all the time, do it without e ffort and have done it for all of our waking lives. But there is a difference between just doing something like thinking or communicating and doing it well.Just as with communicating effectively, what stops us from thinking effectively for much of the time are the perceptual, emotional, cultural and environmental blocks that get in the way. Here are 7 of those blocks. 4. 1 Assumptions When we assume, we often make an â€Å"ass†out of â€Å"u†and â€Å"me†. Assumptions are examples of lazy thinking. We simply don’t wait to get all the information we need to come to the right conclusions. There is the story of the customer at the bank who after cashing a cheque and turning to leave, returns and says: â€Å"Excuse me, I think you made a mistake. The cashier responds, â€Å"I’m sorry but there’s nothing I can do. You should have counted it. Once you walk away we are no longer responsible. †Whereupon the customer replies: â€Å"Well, okay. Thanks for the extra $20. †Tip: When you feel yourself wanting to draw conclusions, just wait until you have all the information. 4. 2 See Things from Other Points Of View A truly open mind is willing to accept that, not only do other people have other just as valid points of view from theirs, but that these other points of view may be more valid.A story is told that the modernist painter Pablo Picasso was once travelling on a train across Spain when he got into conversation with a rich businessman who was dismissive of modern art. As evidence that modern art didn’t properly represent reality, he took out a photo of his wife from his wallet and said: â€Å"This is how my wife should look, not in some silly stylized representation. †Picasso took the photo, studied it for a few moments and asked: â€Å"This is your wife? †The businessman proudly nodded. â€Å"She’s very small,†observed Picasso wryly. Tip: Don’t have a monopoly on how things are.Things aren’t always what they seem. Be ready to consider other points of view. 4. 3 Thinking and Doing It is part of Western intellectual tradition that the thinking part of a decision is separate from the implementation part of the decision, as if the decision was one thing and the implementation something quite different. Hence the gulf between those who take decisions, often in positions of authority, and those who carry them out: thinkers and doers. In Oriental philosophy, which has a much longer tradition than Western philosophy, the gap is not understood.Here there is no gulf between thinking and doing. There is only process. A decision and its implementation are part and parcel of the same thing. This means that the decision can be changed as the implementation proceeds, just as the method of implementation can be changed if the decision is reviewed in the light of new information. Tip: Involve implementers in the decision process. Download free eboo ks at bookboon. com 20 Thinking Skills Blocks to Thinking 4. 4 Get Rid Of Lazy Thinking Habits Habit can be a major stumbling block to clear thinking and another example of laziness.Try this experiment. Write down the Scottish surnames Macdonald, Macpherson, and Macdougall and ask someone to pronounce them. Now follow these with the word Machinery and see what happens. Most people are likely to mis-pronounce it. This is because we tend to think in habitual ways and don’t like what doesn’t fit. Tip: Don’t think that, just because things happened in a certain way once before, they will happen like that every time. 4. 5 Think like A Child Research shows that the number of synapses, or connections, in the brain is greater in a child of two than in an average adult.The reason for this is that a child of two has no limiting world view, as adults do. It’s like a sculptor who starts off with a large block of clay that can become anything. As he gradually removes the clay, the possibilities in his sculpture become less and less until it represents just what he’s looking for. If we use our brain like a child, accepting everything without judgment, we can actually halt and reverse the brain ageing process and become fully open-minded again. Tip: With the right stimulus and a passion for wonder, you can think like a child again. 4. 6 See the Detail As Well As the Big PictureThere is a poem by John Godfrey Saxe called â€Å"The Blind Men and the Elephant†. It tells how six blind men of Indostan go to see an elephant and each try to work out what it is from touching it. One blind man touches the tusk, another the trunk, another the tail, and so on. Of course, not being able to see the whole elephant, they disagree about what the animal is. When we see the detail and the full picture, it is easier to give everything its right context. Tip: Try to keep the big picture in front of you while looking at the details. It will help to put e verything in its proper place. See the full poem here: http://www. oogenesis. com/pineapple/blind_men_elephant. html 4. 7 Think For Yourself Taking time out to think is still frowned on in many organizations that prize activity over creativity. People who work in creativity-constrained organizations are likely to think the way they are supposed to think, or as others think, or as has always been the way to think. It’s like the blinkered thinking that Hans Christian Anderson describes in his story of â€Å"The Emperor’s New Clothes†. Everyone in the land refuses to see that the emperor is naked and has been duped into believing he is wearing a splendid costume for his coronation.Only a young boy who has been ill and not party to the cultural brainwashing can see the truth and cries out: â€Å"Look, everyone, the Emperor is wearing no clothes! †Tip: Don’t let others tell you how to think. When others ask your opinion, tell it to them straight. 4. 8 Time to Think One of the biggest stumbling-blocks to thinking is that, in many organisations, we still don’t recognize that it is sometimes more important than activity. Here is a story that illustrates an anti-thinking attitude. Download free ebooks at bookboon. com 21 Thinking Skills Blocks to ThinkingThe car-maker Henry Ford hired an efficiency expert to go through his plant. He said: â€Å"Find the unproductive people. Tell me who they are and I’ll fire them! †The expert made his rounds with his clipboard in hand and finally returned to Henry Ford’s office with his report. â€Å"I’ve found a problem with one of your managers,†he said. â€Å"Every time I walked past his office, he was sitting with his feet propped on the desk doing nothing. I definitely think you should consider getting rid of him. †When Ford asked who the man was, he shook his head and said: â€Å"I can’t fire him. I pay that man to do nothing but think .And that’s what he’s doing. †Each of us has the power to think clearly. It’s part of our natural make-up as human beings. The trouble is that, too often, we block our natural thinking ability and so make errors in judgment. By unblocking your thinking, by not judging, not making assumptions, and not blindly accepting the views of others, you can access the full creativity of your thinking. 4. 9 Key Points 1. We often make wrong assumptions about what we see because of prejudice and false expectations. 2. We each see the world differently because of our thoughts; every â€Å"thing†is a think†. . Thinking like a child is more open and creative because it is not layered with years of learning and habit. 4. Culturally-accepted ways of thinking can sometimes limit us to thinking in familiar ways. 5. Well-directed and well-trained thinking is always more productive than activity. 6. Successful enterprises need original thinking if they are to avo id blindly following the thinking of the Please click the advert majority. BEN JIJ DE CEO OF CFO VAN DE TOEKOMST? Nyenrode Business Universiteit daagt je uit om mee te doen aan de Nyenrode Career Challenge 2013.Wat is jouw visie op de toekomst? Wat maakt jouw bedrijf succesvol in een veranderende samenleving? Doe mee en maak kans op een studiebeurs voor de Executive MBA of de Financial Controlling (Post) Master op Nyenrode. Schrijf je in en kijk voor meer informatie op www. nyenrodecareerchallenge. com of bel 0346-291 291. www. nyenrodecareerchallenge. com Powered by: Download free ebooks at bookboon. com 22 Thinking Skills Logical Thinking 5 Logical Thinking Logical thinking is to think on the basis of knowledge, what we know, and certainties, what we can prove.The past two centuries have witnessed an unparalleled reliance on the logical approach to thinking. It is the basis on which modern technology is founded. But the flaw in logical thinking is that it relies on the conscious b rain and this is the most limited and vulnerable part of our thinking. 5. 1 Left-Brain Thinking Logical thinking is the part of the brain that relates to its left-hand side (â€Å"l†for â€Å"left†and â€Å"l†for â€Å"logical†). It was Professor Roger Sperry of the University of California who discovered that different sides of the brain were responsible for different functions.He discovered that the left-brain†¦ †¢ governs the right side of the body †¢ governs the right field of vision †¢ deals with input sequentially †¢ perceives the parts more than the whole †¢ perceives time †¢ is the seat of verbal skills Download free ebooks at bookboon. com 23 Thinking Skills Logical Thinking †¢ is the seat of logical and analytical thinking †¢ sets goals, plans and reviews: the managerial mind †¢ formulates evocative language The left side of the brain is the chattering mind, thriving on, but limited by, inform ation. 5. 2 Right Brain ThinkingJust as he explained the workings of the logical, left-sided brain, so Roger Sperry also discovered that the right-hand side is responsible for romantic types of thinking (â€Å"r†for â€Å"romantic†and â€Å"right-sided†). In contrast to the left, he discovered that the right brain†¦ †¢ governs the left side of the body †¢ governs the left field of vision †¢ deals with inputs simultaneously †¢ perceives the whole more than the parts †¢ perceives space †¢ is the seat of visual skills †¢ is the seat of intuitive and kinaesthetic perception †¢ is responsible for imagination and visualisation †¢ formulates symbol and metaphor. 5. 3 Managerial ThinkingManagerial thinking tends to use the functions of the left brain more than those of the right brain. The sort of workplace issues that use left-brain thinking are analysing and detecting faults in mechanical processes through collecting , checking and testing information; investigating problems of the â€Å"what went wrong? †variety; learning from how things have been done in the past to improve the way we do them next time; and obtaining information that answers â€Å"what? †, â€Å"where? †, â€Å"who? †and â€Å"why? †questions. All of these issues rely on information and on information being correct, complete and understood. 5. 4 Logical ThinkingLogical (or left-brain) thinking comes into its own when we are working with verifiable and reasonably certain information. This is information we can be sure about because it has been confirmed scientifically. Using â€Å"scientific†information allows us to develop our knowledge by making logical deductions. It is the kind of thinking used in playing games of chess, (where there are quite definite rules) and solving puzzles for which there is an answer. Logical thinking uses 5 steps: 1. a clear goal or solution 2. systemati c planning 3. using information 4. reasoning 5. checking conclusions Download free ebooks at bookboon. com 24Thinking Skills Logical Thinking 5. 5 SMART Goals The first step in logical thinking is a clear goal. Working towards clear goals is often described by the mnemonic SMART. These are goals which are Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Time-bounded. For example, it may be a department’s goal to produce 30 tons of product a day from 28 tons after upgrading its machinery. SMART goals are managerial goals. They lend themselves to plans and the application of a step-by-step thought-and-action process. Clear goals work from a known starting point (that is, now) in a series of steps and sequences until the goal is reached.SMART goals assume that the future will be the same as now, that resources will stay the same and that nothing will interrupt the execution of the plan. If anything changes, then so will the SMART goals. 5. 6 Systematic Planning Systematic plannin g is the second step in the SMART process towards a goal. We know the â€Å"what? †because we have defined a clear goal; systematic planning tells us the â€Å"how? †to get us there. Systematic planning aims to find the correct method, the correct procedure, the correct system that can logically take us to our goal.In SMART goal thinking, planning is â€Å"systematic†because we can try it out in different circumstances, repeatedly and with different kinds of information. It is like a computer programme into which we type our formula and apply our information to come up with THE answer. 5. 7 Using Information The remaining steps in the SMART process involve using our left-sided brains to work towards our goals. Information is key to this process. We need to group it, organize it, rank it, fit it into the bigger picture, and make connections with it.It needs to be as accurate and verifiable as possible or else there can be no basis for further logical thought. Where information is uncertain, difficult to check, subject to change, not easy to understand, then it is of limited use. Please click the advert Budget-Friendly. Knowledge-Rich. The Agilent In? niiVision X-Series and 1000 Series offer affordable oscilloscopes for your labs. Plus resources such as lab guides, experiments, and more, to help enrich your curriculum and make your job easier. Scan for free Agilent iPhone Apps or visit qrs. ly/po2Opli See what Agilent can do for you. www. agilent. com/? d/EducationKit  © Agilent Technologies, Inc. 2012 u. s. 1-800-829-4444 canada: 1-877-894-4414 Download free ebooks at bookboon. com 25 Thinking Skills Logical Thinking 5. 8 The Limits of Information Logical thinking relies wholly on how reliable your information is. But, in a fast-changing world, information presents us with a number of problems. 5. 8. 1 there is too much of it We are bombarded today with huge amounts of information, much of it contradictory. It is calculated that one co py of the British Sunday Times contains in it more information than a medieval man would have had access to in a lifetime. . 8. 2 it gets distorted easily All knowledge comes to us via someone else’s perception and is filtered by our own perception. Even the most unbiased of television news-readers cannot avoid an occasional voice inflexion or raised eyebrow when they deliver a story. We can never be absolutely sure of the motives and thinking behind the information we receive. â€Å"Never ask a hairdresser if you need a haircut. †5. 8. 3 it is incomplete We can never know whether the information we receive is complete or incomplete.In the hours after the death of Diana, Princess of Wales, in a car accident in 1997 everyone believed that she had been a victim of pursuing photographers. Later it was discovered that her chauffeur had excessive levels of alcohol in his blood. 5. 8. 4 it is quickly outdated In today’s world of instant access to information via worl d-wide communications, knowledge quickly becomes outdated, obsolete and forgotten. All through history, when a craftsman learned his trade after a period of four, five or six years of apprenticeship, he had learned everything he would ever need to know.It would be sufficient for the rest of his working life. Today, this is no longer enough. We need updates every few years to keep abreast of what is happening in our chosen field. The giant American corporation, General Electric, has speculated that a newly-recruited engineer’s knowledge will be out of date within five years of starting in the job. 5. 8. 5 our conscious brains can only hold a limited amount of information Our knowledge-holding brains – the conscious thinking parts – are only capable of holding a limited amount of data at any one time.Most of us find it hard to keep more than about 7 or 8 facts in our conscious brain at any one time. To test this, deal someone 7 or 8 cards from a pack of playing ca rds; allow them 15 seconds to memorise them in their heads; and then ask them to turn the cards over and recall them. Very few people can successfully remember every single card. Now contrast this with the sub-conscious brain which stores every single experience and thought that we have ever had and still has room for a huge amount more. The logical, or scientific, approach to thinking relies on information about the world around us.From it, we can create the most wonderful inventions and manifestations. But, in a fast-paced world, this information is quickly out-of-date, quickly inaccurate, and quickly useless. If we are to rely on logical thinking to succeed in life, then we need to be masters of left-brain thinking. Download free ebooks at bookboon. com 26 Thinking Skills Logical Thinking 5. 9 Key Points 1. Ordered thinking is thinking that is analytical, sensible and systematic. 2. The left side of the brain is the seat of logical thinking. 3. The right side of the brain is the seat of imaginative thinking. 4.Logical thinking allows us to make incremental progress based on verifiable information. 5. While logical thinking relies on facts and information, information itself can be unreliable and inaccurate. 6. The analytical conscious brain is limited in the amount of information it can hold; while the creative subconscious is unlimited. Download free ebooks at bookboon. com 27 Thinking Skills Creative Thinking 6 Creative Thinking In our Western systems of thinking, there is a strong bias towards using the left-brain. We tend to prefer ideas that fit preconceived patterns, systems that have been proved and solutions that are low-risk.But in a time of change, where we need to solve major intractable problems, we need to be more creative and instead of known thinking and known solutions, develop new thinking and new solutions, ie using the right-brain. Here are 7 ways to be more creative. 6. 1 Think like A Child As adults we tend to think in a conditioned way aimed at showing how clever we are. Yet, as children, we are simply spontaneous and far more curious in our thinking. To re-capture your childhood curiosity, allow yourself to just wonder at things, to be completely present in the here and now, and to detach yourself from what you thought was real.Why are leaves green? Who is Father Christmas? What makes us yawn? Where do people come from? Why do we have to go to sleep? What’s at the end of a rainbow? What happens when we die? Please click the advert What makes us laugh? Download free ebooks at bookboon. com 28 Thinking Skills Creative Thinking Why do people fight? What makes the light go on? Where do animals go when they die? Why do we have to work? 6. 2 Be More Curious The search for new answers to old problems starts with being curious about the problem and looking at it with fresh eyes. Sigmund Freud said that such curiosity came more naturally to children than adults.Other great inventors have also recognised the import ance to creative thinking of being curious about the world. This is how Leonardo da Vinci described his endless curiosity: â€Å"I roamed the countryside searching for answers to things I did not understand. Why shells existed on the tops of mountains along with the imprint of coral and plant and seaweed found in the sea. Why the thunder lasts a longer time than that which causes it and why immediately on its creation the lightning becomes visible to the eye while circles of water form around the spot which has been struck by a storm and why a bird
Thursday, August 29, 2019
Educational Technology Essay
With the passage of time, the advances of technology are making their presence felt in every walk of life from space exploration to clean a room. The central though behind these technological advances is to make life more comfortable, efficient, and safe. As such technology is an integral part of daily workaday life. Newer forms of technology are being introduced with improved rates of efficiency, safety, and comfort. In this regard, inclusion of technology in education has also become the hard norm of the present educational system of such a country as the United States of America with the same focus as quoted above. Henceforth, all important areas of educational development have been hinged with the inclusion of technology. One such area of focus today, with regard to the inclusion of technology in education, is the educational development of the disabled and other disadvantage students’ enhanced learning. The present paper examines in detail the inclusion of technology in education with relation to the learning of disabled and disadvantaged students. The paper first of all discusses the present literature on the present state of educational technology and disabled learners; furthermore, the present paper specifically examines studies conducted in the same area to investigate the legitimacy on educational technology inclusion to teach the disabled students, say, English language, and see what difference the technology inclusion makes upon the learning of the students. Literature Review In the past several decades, changing perspectives on the use of technology inclusion in education for the disabled students has caused the curricular guidance to undergo changes that are significant on their own. It was in the time of the 1970s and the 1980s that parents and teachers came to realize the vision that graduating students with disabilities could now go on living and working in the general community environment with some support that differed according to individual. This vision, then, bypassed the shelters of workshops, centers for day treatment, and other massive settings for residential purposes which were indispensable for the previous students. This revolutionary vision then gave birth to â€Å"the development of curricula that were relevant to students’ functioning to everyday life†(Davern, et.al, 2001). In addition to the above, the Individual with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA, 1997) also paved the way for the educators to look for technology inclusion that can boost up learning in the disabled students; hence the premise of this act is that: A free and appropriate public education will be provided for all children with special needs. IDEA 97 emphasizes the participation of students with disabilities in the general curriculum and requires that Individualized Education Program (IEP) teams make many decisions that support and encourage student performance in the general curriculum and general education classroom (Robinson, et.al, 2002). However, when it comes to the participation of the disabled students in the learning of more complex cognitive content (say reading comprehension or learning vocabulary, and so on) with the mainstream education, with their peers, it is seen as an obstacle that these students show a difference of learning from their peers. Hence there are various involvements made by researchers. These interventions focus on overcoming these differences among the two types of learners. â€Å"Curriculum-based assessment†, â€Å"Direct instruction curriculum design†, and â€Å"learning strategies Deshier†are some of them (Carnine, 1989). Today, as such, technology is fast becoming the norm of the area of educating the learners with disabilities. The times of the twenty first century has given rapid rise to technology integration in education. Henceforward, as Dr. Frank B. Withrow, Director of Development Able Company Washington D.C. (2000) notes that â€Å"Technology predictions for the 21st century include sensory prosthetic devices for disabled people. This may be one of the most significant factors in providing all children an equal and appropriate education.†He further points out that â€Å"Cochlear implants are already providing many hard of hearing youngsters with functional hearing.†Moreover, â€Å"Speech synthesizers give voice to mute individuals. New developments in microelectronic lenses may enable a large number of visually disabled people to read printed books†(Frank, 2000) However, it is another thing to investigate the integration of technology and its feasibility with the production: effectiveness of technology with regard to the learning rate of the students with disabilities. In the later part of the paper I would examine the role of technology in relation to this very theme. I would discuss the role of the educational software for the special education. Educational Software and Special Students Today, like all other areas of education, special education is also influenced by the introduction of newer and newer software that provide the educators the opportunities to better teach the disabled students so that their learning can be worth it. Since commercial software for education usually shapes the center of instruction which is technology-based in special education (also for general classroom education), there is a very rapid race among the educational authorities to obtain the most effective and result-oriented software. However, with the advances made in this area, there are certain concerns raised by the educators and researchers about the feasibility of these software packages with regard to effective learning among the disabled students. In this connection, the most common practice found among the educators is that they â€Å"rely on experts in commercial businesses to produce quality educational software for classroom use, with the assumption that the software has been designed to meet the unique learning needs of the population of students for whom it is targeted†(Boone, et.al, 2000). In other words, the consumers of the software assume that the software was properly designed and developed with a population being the focus of that software, for example, students with disabilities, junior school students, students learning English as a second language, and so forth. The net result that these consumers anticipate from the software obtained, as such, is that it will help them improve the learning capabilities of their students – in our case students with learning disabilities and disadvantaged students. On the contrary, Boone et al. (p. 109, 2000) observe that though many of the software developers are aware of the fact that consulting educational experts and researchers is way important in order to develop a result-oriented, population-targeted software, â€Å"some companies still develop software without taking into account education factors that may affect learning†(Boone, et.al, 2000). They point out three major areas regarding such software development for the disabled students, which were major concerns of the educators: 1) The developed software did not have a theoretical base for its formation; 2) There is an overemphasis on such technical aspects of the software as high graphic designs and audio add-ons; and 3) The software development manifested an improper approach toward educational concerns. With these three major concerns, Boone et al. (2000) also list three major areas – investigated in a Delphi research study – which, according to educators, the educational software for the disabled students was proved to be lacking. These areas are: 1) The investigation revealed that software lacked an incorporation or association of higher-level of thinking; 2) The software also lacked a grounding in the educational research and pedagogical investigation of the related teaching content to the disabled students; 3) The last major area of lacking of the educational software for the disabled students was that the software lacked the inclusion of a number of different level skills which can be used to effectively meet an individual’s specific needs. Therefore, Forcier, 1999 (as cited in Boone et al. p. 01, 2000) notes that because of these so complex issues with regard to the educational software, it seems unclear as to which degree such educational improvisation is actually meeting the needs of the educators/teachers and their students. (Boone, et.al, 2000) Evaluation of Software Boone et al. (2000) point out the importance of the educational for the disabled students so that their feasibility can be put to a check. For the evaluation of an educational software, the authors state that many of the educational software developers and publishers are not providing enough information to the educators. This is a practical problem for the educators who opt for a specific software program available in the market suiting the needs of their educational context; however: (Boone, et.al, 2000) â€Å"Educators often find that software they have purchased is not adaptable, does not teach what it purports to teach, or does not support what is occurring in the classroom. For these reasons, educators must independently evaluate software by taking into consideration the following†. (Boone, et.al, 2000) 1) The educators must look for the software’s intended use by monitoring the help that the software lends to achieve their objectives; 2) Content which accompanies the software must be scrutinized; it is also seen whether or not the software has a teacher’s supplement for implementation; 3) â€Å"the instructional presentation and whether the software meets the principles of universal design (i.e., multiple representations of content, multiple means of expression and control, and multiple forms of engagement)†(Boone, et.al, 2000); 4) they should also go for software that is user-friendly: that is easy to use both by the teacher(s) and students; 5) the software should also provide considerable amount of documents and other support; 6) The software should also contain user inputs. With these areas in mind, the authors further come up with the evaluation criteria of the two kinds of evaluation of the software: formative and summative evaluation through the use of the software to make sure of its compatibility with the learning of the disabled students. I discuss both these steps of the evaluations separately so that a thorough understanding of the issue can be grasped. Formative Evaluation and Learning Software for Disabled Students To evaluate the efficiency of software for students with disabilities Boone et al (2000) state that the first and the foremost focus of the educators should be to take into account an area of the students’ learning and/ or other aspects of their life; this are can be the learning characteristics of those students; or their learning goals; or it can be the area of their social skills and goals, and so on. After this specification, the educators should put the software to test on a across-student level, that is to say: Software evaluation by students should involve a high-achieving student, a middle-achieving student, and a low-achieving student who all have a particular disability. This allows the educator to determine the software’s usability across students with a particular disability and, beforehand, to identify specific areas in the software with which particular students may need help (Boone, et.al, 2000). They also give a precaution to the educators that they should not count on the opinions of the parents of the students because it is possible that some software is not efficient to adults; however, the same is greatly enjoyed by the students.
Countries Analysis Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words
Countries Analysis - Assignment Example SOUTH AFRICA LABOUR ISSUES Labor force in South Africa has increased since the days of Apartheid. During Apartheid, most of the Blacks were working in the informal sector and mostly provided unskilled labor. In 1994 and 1995, officials revised employment statistics to join into national accounts employment in the former black homelands which were home to almost one-half of the black South African population subject to the revisions, in mid 1995, the government estimated the national work force to 14.3 million people.1 Section 23 of the Constitution of South Africa2 provides for labor relations that everyone has the right to fair labor practices, right to join a trade union and the right to engage in collective bargaining. In 1997, the country3 adopted a new constitution which set out the regulations and basic conditions of employment and the labor laws were to comply with the Republic. The Act applies to all employees save for the members of the National Defense Force, the National I ntelligence Agency, the Secret Service and unpaid volunteers. Section 7 of the Act gives the proviso for regulation of working times. It goes ahead to provide for the allowed rest period to include a rest period of at least 12 hours between ending and recommencing works daily. WAGES An employee must provide written particulars of employment before commencing employment which include place of work; designation of job; the rate payable for overtime and the employee wages. An employer has a duty to pay an employee remuneration that is paid in form of money, the payment has to be calculated by reference to the several hours the employee works, that is 45 hours a week, or 9 hours a day. Notice of termination has to be given to the employee some months or days before an employee is dismissed, this is provided for in the Act. The state enacted Labor Relations Acti which has undergone numerous amendments to change the law governing labor relations and, to give effect to section 27 of the Co nstitution. The Act regulates the rights of the organization; it regulates the rights of the trade unions; it promotes and facilitates collective bargaining at the workplace and at the sector level. The Labor Act also provides for the legal effect of collective agreements, Disputes about collective agreements, Agency shop agreements, Closed shop agreements, Establishment of bargaining councils, Powers and functions of bargaining council, Registration of bargaining councils and the Constitution of bargaining council. LABOR AND POLITICS South African Industrial development had relied on an abundance of low-wage labor for centuries in order to ensure profits,4 but as time went by, economic and social problems associated with implementing apartheid emerged. The development of new technologies during the 1960s and 1970s made most industries to increase their capital stock so that they could invest in machinery and employ a few skilled technicians rather than adopt a labor intensive metho d that would need training and managing a large work force. The trend towards capital-intensive operations led to a lower labor costs and increased productivity. As a result, there was an increased rate of unemployment and poverty which fueled resentment and this made the government to raise the costs of preserving apartheid. Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) was establishment in 1985 by 1990ii more than
Wednesday, August 28, 2019
Feminism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words
Feminism - Essay Example That function gives women such wisdom and power as no male ever can possess. When women can support themselves, have their entry to all the trades and professions, with a house of their own over their heads and a bank account, they will own their bodies and be dictators in the social realm. Elizabeth Cady Stanton, 1890 (Banner, 1980) The activists for women's rights in the nineteenth century may have read Godey's Lady's Book and the same domestic novels as their neighbors, but they believed that women's moral superiority justified their working for women's equality inside and outside the home. Why did they challenge the prevailing restrictions on women How did their own experiences in the family lead them to a feminist consciousness How did their domestic experiences shape their feminist thought and action Family issues--women's property rights, child custody, marriage, reproductive control, and divorce--were central to the early women's rights advocates' understanding of women's oppression. The Declaration of Sentiments passed in 1848 at Seneca Falls, New York, as well as the resolutions passed at other women's rights conventions, reflected the centrality of these concerns. Elizabeth Cady Stanton, along with many Quakers and Spiritualists, were the strongest advocates for marriage reform, both before and after the Civil War, when the women's rights movement as a whole narrowed its platform to concentrate on the vote. This emphasis on family issues stemmed from the supporters' own domestic experiences--empowering as well as restrictive--and from their outrage over the victimization of other women by abusive husbands. Aware of the precariousness of women's covert domestic power, many early activists for women's rights forged a feminist agenda designed to benefit women and their familie s. Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Susan B. Anthony, Lucy Stone, Antoinette Brown Blackwell, and other notable feminists who were dismayed by the slow progress of achieving public power sought to apply feminist principles in their own lives. They pursued two major alternative strategies: combining marriage, motherhood, and careers; or choosing single celibate lives dedicated to reform (Banner, 1980). Many early advocates for women's rights came to a feminist consciousness as they perceived the disparities between their own experiences as wives and mothers and the cultural ideals of true womanhood. Some of them came to an awareness of their subordination when they were discriminated against in the abolitionist and temperance movements. In these movements they gained valuable political organizing experience through public speaking, lobbying, and petition campaigns. For others their feminist consciousness stemmed from their experiences as Quakers and Spiritualists. Women spoke in Quaker meetings, became ministers, held separate business meetings, and had equal educational opportunities. Feminists against the Traditional Family Certain topics were almost universally taboo in nineteenth-century America. Even husbands and their wives avoided discussing sex, homosexuality, prostitution, insanity, illegitimate children, birth control, and suicide. In a time when nudity was considered indecent, Hiram Powers's statue of a nude female titled Greek Slave caused uproar. Some museums had a "ladies hour" when women could view the statue
Tuesday, August 27, 2019
African American Caribbean Art Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words
African American Caribbean Art - Essay Example This art involves the drawings that have been made through scribbling and scratching on the wall surfaces. They also involve illegal paints on the walls.Normaly; the decorative images are applied by painting to buildings and public transport facilities. Impressionist art. This art is meant to catch the attention of people. Normally, the pictures in this art are painted by the usage of more colours.The pictures represent the outdoor scenes. The pictures are often conspicuous, dazzling and vibrant at the places that they have been placed so as to attract people’s attention. The artist William Johnson used this approach in his artwork. Assemblage art. This art consists of three-dimensional elements that represent a particular object. The art involves modeling of objects that have volume. It is a visual art that consists of objects that can be seen and touched. It was commonly used by Edna Manley. The 1960’s through the1990’s were seen as a time of the cultural revolution, especially in art. Artists have become more worried about big ideas and innovation. The artist are now concerned with the quality of the paintings and not just artwork. The presence of technology has enabled the artist to take little time in the art work and also have wide and fine designs. Many art scholars have developed new educational priorities which emphasizes the pursuit of skills rather than knowledge. This has made the artists and art students less interested in gaining the traditions and craft of their subject, and instead focused on mastering production and innovation techniques. The personal innovation and interpretation have become vital than acquiring painting skills.Therefore, many individuals have failed to master the painting skills and depend on the presence of the computers. The introduction of new technology has enabled has enabled photographic and film images to be produced. The speed of production of the art work has increased significantly. The images that are
Monday, August 26, 2019
Philosophy Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 2
Philosophy - Assignment Example of the things they say seem to parallel one another in that the same self-value is recognized though Kant says it is autonomous and comes from within and Mill seems to think it okay to take advantage of others to some degree in order to derive physical pleasure over pain. Kant was a believer in the â€Å"freedom of will†or what we call free will as it pertains to the individual. He also believed that we don’t morally sacrifice our conscience or what is â€Å"good†about us just to meet some expedient need. Mill seems to make the argument that self-preservation comes first. He isn’t going so far as to say it’s okay to trample on others for personal pleasure of the highest degree, but that self-valuation holds the highest place on the ladder. Kant believes that any reasonably sane adult, in possession of rationality and the need to be autonomous (separated from the crowd) in his moral beliefs, will answer the question â€Å"What should I do?†(in this situation) with a two-fold set of beliefs: How will it affect me, and how will it affect others? Moral virtue plus complete happiness equals Highest Good. What is our obligation, our duty, or the good will we must show others when making a determination about how to conduct ourselves in the moral universe? In Mill’s world, the only life’s happiness to be found is in rote self-gratification and the only thing mankind need fret himself about is making certain (s)he is surrounded with only that which makes him feel pleasure and no pain. All else is ‘morally’ expendable, meaning there is no such thing, really, as guilt if the person who derived the pleasurable benefit is happy. Then Kant unwittingly crosses that by saying (close enough) that true happiness comes from within. Mill’s hedonistic stance is that there is no moral guide or judge when a person is pleasuring themselves and that no one has to be surrounded by anything or anyone that does not make them happy or give them their highest pleasures in
Sunday, August 25, 2019
As I lay dying Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words
As I lay dying - Essay Example Darl is not only a deep thinker, but very observant youth.(Wagner 1973) He immediately emerges as a unique character with what might amount to clairvoyance . Early on the reader is aware of this when Darl describes his younger brother Jewel who is behind him. He is able to discern that: â€Å"Jewel, fifteen feet behind me, looking straight ahead, steps in a single stride through the window. Still staring straight ahead, his pale eyes like wood set into his wooden face, he crosses the floor in four strides.’†(Faulkner 2000 p3) Be that as it may, Darl appears to be the sharper of the Bundrens and his philosophical nature may have confined him to a somewhat dreamy existence. While he says little, he is often times engaged in deep thought. It is indeed ironic that for a boy who has little to say, Darl conducts at least nineteen monologues throughout Faulkner’s As I Lay Dying. ‘†What you want, Darl?†Dewey Dell said, not stopping the fan, speaking up quick, keeping even him from her. He didnt answer. He just stood and looked at his dying mother, his heart too full for words†. (Faulkner 2000 p 26). It is the fear of the power associated with Darl’s clairvoyance that ultimately accounts for his family’s decision to send him to a mental institution. Darl alienates himself from the community and others fear getting too close to him. The fear is grounded in their knowledge that he will learn some ugly, hidden truth. A truth they do not wish to share with others. It is ultimately this fear that drives his family to have him committed to an institution for the mentally impaired by the end of the novel. Darl’s detachment and estrangement from his family after his mother’s death is explained by Darl in the following passage: "It is as though the space between us were time: an irrevocable quality. It is as though time, no longer running straight before us in a diminishing line, now runs
Saturday, August 24, 2019
An Analysis of the Movie ( Mystic River ) Assignment
An Analysis of the Movie ( Mystic River ) - Assignment Example The politics concerned with planning in Mystic River is stemmed from planning issues. The freedom of staying in slum community and environment raises the issue of planning in the movie. Furthermore, the freedom in the slum dwelling is not always enjoyed due to higher density demographic, similarly, the high density population causes the community to be too close, physically. The high population in the urban area poses obstruction to planning and other related issues. The communal obstruction in the movie has similar results that usually invoke changes among the communities. The planning politics in the film illustrate positions of public welfare where the personal gains and interest is the main protagonist. The planning politics began with water issues and overall welfare, and the effect of political affairs on the environmental nature. The Boston environment is maximized to suit the desires of the located citizens. Analysis of Mystic River and urban planning involved coordination of time and speed, which is juxtaposed with geography and history. The director of the movie focused on the relation between the cinematic space and urban planning. Since the special categories of the movie based on its topographies, location, site, and settings have changed in the entire movie. The movie integrates that understanding between geography and history without giving one a privilege (Belly, 14). Talking about the limited liability in urban development, is important to note that Lynch discovered the five elements like landmarks, nodes, edges, and paths compared to those that build the image cities (Peterson,119). In the film, the urban dwellers used social contact and personal communication to make personal connection in Boston city. Such networks in the film include the dating agencies, clubs, and public ballrooms. The network served the characters that are desperate and lonely; in addition, they served those that are happy
Friday, August 23, 2019
Management Information Systems Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words
Management Information Systems - Case Study Example In this context, the metrics and standards must not be confused with feeling and religion. Ethical dilemma is a situation when a good step (or approach) from the viewpoint of one set of metrics and standards becomes wrong from another set of metrics and standards or vice versa. Wal-Mart has become a top retailer in the U.S.A. by inventing how to reduce the operational cost, implementing low prices for products and placing the inventory in the shop just in time. When Wal-Mart notices that associates scheduling using manual mode is expensive and ineffective, no doubt it will try to find a way to reduce the particular expense. Implementation of digital technology for associate work scheduling by Wal-Mart cannot be considered as a wrong moral action. Wal-Mart’s moral action will be classified right, or wrong based on decisions that management implements in stores using the information that they receive from the Kronos system. Management uses information to reduce staff early in the day and increase staff during the midday rush. Management reduces staff again toward the end of the afternoon and increases again for an evening crowd (â€Å"Flexible Scheduling at Walmart†, n.d). This scheduling method implies that the Wal-Mart is holding an X number of workforce under its control and distributing all or a portion of it during the day based on the optimization rule on how to maximize the profit. It should be noted that Wal-Mart is only paying the associates when they are at work. An additional benefit that Wal-Mart is bringing to its shareholders from this operation is money that the Company is not paying to the workforce while keeping them under its control. On one hand, Wal-Mart is fulfilling its responsibility to increase shareholders’ value; on the other hand, it is not fulfilling its responsibility to ensure workers welfare. Thus, the action is resulting conflicting moral obligations;
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